Because American culture has embraced emceeing most of all the elements of Hip Hop – from CEOs of major media companies who invest in a rapper to underground hip hop emcees* who push their lyrical mastery to the masses sans a record contract – it amazes me how emceeing has not been embraced fully as a possible solution to the education crisis in America.

Most American educators are strict followers of the English language and its expressions (prose, poetry) and tools/rules (grammar). In addition, most mainstream perception of Rap lyrics is to dismiss and belittle the creative intelligence of a rapper as vulgar, sexist and a whole host of other taboos. Indeed, many rappers do go onto that route, however, not all rap artists or emcees follow that path, but do not have the mainstream appeal or monetary exposure to be played on the radio.

In essence, however, emceeing, defined as “the study and application of rhythmic talk, poetry and divine speech” (The Hip Hop Gospel), allows for an individual person to communicate a message that may educate or reveal some kind of truth in their rap.

Yesterday, I went to Casa 0101 Theater in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights to witness a creative free spirit manifest.  The event “Occupy This! Poetry Event” featured 99 poets who gathered to speak their individual truths in solidarity with the Occupy Movements around the globe.

Suffice it to say I was very moved by all the performances and had an instant desire to learn more about what some of these poets brought into question. I was able to quick capture a few poets on video. One in particular by the name of Jamal (I apologize I do not know his stage name and briefly spoke with him after the show) titled “A peer into Corruption’s Facade“.

*I distinguish rappers and emcees since most of the former represent corporate interests while most emcees adhere to self-determination in their lyrical content.

As Ali proclaims to be a “card-carrying member of the hip-hop generation,”  he nevertheless gives a typical condemnation of the lyrical content most mainstream hip-hop music adheres to, citing Lil Wanye’s “Wife Beater” song in particular. Perhaps most offensive to me, however, is Ali’s further probe of the vulnerable children he claims are at the mercy of this “unbalanced and menacing pop culture”.

Now, with respect to Weezy fans out there, I have no interest in the man’s music, so this analysis is far from a fan feeling his favorite artist is being used as a scapegoat. However, I have a much larger affinity toward hip hop as culture, and therefore find it necessary to analyze Ali’s – and much of mainstream media’s – point of view.

Hip-hop’s critiques are usually described in the context of mere music product entertainment (distinguished here with a hyphen hip-hop).  Yet, Hip Hop is also one of the larger elements of Hip Hop Kulture, which encompasses nine elements (breaking, emceeing, deejaying, beatboxing, street fashion, street language, street knowledge, street entrepreneurialism). Seldom is Hip Hop allowed to live it’s original purpose of providing self-determination to oppressed people who created it in the 1970s in the inner cities of the Bronx, New York.

In The Gospel of Hip Hop, author KRS-One provides philosophical insight of Hip Hop, a sort of how-to-guide of living Hip Hop. Indeed, one of his monikers “The Techa” should not be belittled. His now 20 studio albums and contributions to hip-hop music and Hip Hop Kulture are unbound.  Indeed, this post is homage to this specific literary work, but also to my aspirations to live and be Hip Hop.

While Ali wields his hip hop card, he is meanwhile ignoring the inherent intelligence of an entire global Hip Hop generation who has and continues to codify their own “street language,” defined as “Hip Hop’s effort to free itself from the confinement of standard language and standardized views of reality.”  This street language allows for those who practice and live Hip Hop to express their current understanding and justify themselves and Hip Hop culture in the world.  To deem this street language as unacceptable is to deny our inherent right as Hip Hoppers to express freely and openly ideas internally among our peers because it fails to serve the dominant group’s (English language) rules.

Indeed, we the Global Hip Hop Generation have failed to educate the mainstream about our cultural realities. Words are meaningless without a literal definition.  When a definition is established, a graphic description in the listener’s mind is created. When for example those who live Hip Hop use greetings like “what’s up my nigga,” both the greeter and receiver are positively affected in their psychology to the mainstream’s disapproval.  Similarly, street language like “wife beater” today is deemed unacceptable and dismissed for its creative intelligence since it does not adhere to the internal communication of the dominant group (English language).

In this case, Ali applied his traditional linguistic definitions to describe a social reality of domestic violence when hearing and “seeing” the word “wife beater” and the horrid realities affixed to the act of domestic violence against women.

Without definition of OUR language, misperceptions like Ali’s denunciation of Weezy’s word choice will continue to be a challenge.

And that’s Hip Hop.

Today I….

• Came in from teaching an ‘art of emceeing’ class in Queens
• Wrote some haiku after reading Sonia Sanchez’s new book “Morning Haiku”
• Experimented with a recipe for wheat-free, gluten-free scallion cakes and a dipping sauce (yes, they were yummy and hit the spot).   I never considered the possibility of making savory pancakes, but tasty, tasty, tasty.
• Started reading KRS One’s “The Gospel of Hip Hop”

I have no idea what the night holds, but it was a perfect Saturday today.